Individual portable table



May 8, 1962 E. c. OAKES 3,032,916

INDIVIDUAL PORTABLE TABLE Filed Nov. 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

faw//v C. o/M'ss IMX@ 4 TTORA/EYS May 8, 1962 E. c. oAKEs 3,032,916

INDIVIDUAL PORTABLE TABLE Filed Nov. 16. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [4 INVENTOR.

0 W//V C. OKJ B Y A T 70k/vins' United States Patent O 3,032,916 INDIVIDUAL PORTABLE TABLE Edwin C. Oakes, 1570 Superior Road, Rte. 2, Ypsilanti, Mich. Filed Nov. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 853,232 3 Claims. (Cl. 45-64) This invention relates generally to individual portable tables for writing or eating purposes or for supporting miscellaneous articles, and refers more particularly to cushioned tables of the type mentioned.

One of the essential objects of the invention is to provide an individual portable table having a substantially rigid panel portion adapted to serve as a table, and having a cushion portion coeXtensive with said rigid panel portion and adapted to be placed upon the lap of a seated person to provide the rigid panel portion with a cushioned support.

Another object is to provide an individual portable table wherein a detachable connection is provided between said rigid panel portion and said cushion portion permitting either of said portions to be separated from the other to be cleaned.

Another object is to provide an individual portable table having two cushion portions hingedly connected to each other so that said cushion portions may be alternately folded face to face and back to back, and having a separate rigid panel portion coeXtensive with and detachably connected to the face of one of said cushion portions.

Another object is to provide an individual portable table wherein the rigid panel portion is adapted to serve as a table when said cushion portions are folded back to back, and is adapted to be located between said cushion portions when the latter are folded face to face, so that said cushion portions collectively may be used as a back rest for a seated person.

Another object is to provide an individual portable table wherein the two hingedly connected cushion portions are provided at their free ends with handles by which the folded portable table may Ibe conveniently carried from place to place, and may be used to carry a book, or other objects as in a brief case.

Another object is to provide an individual portable table that may be used by a seated art student when making drawings or sketches, or by a seated person at a drivein establishment or at a picnic, or by a passenger in an automobile for supporting a road map or the like while riding across country, or by any seated person within an airplane, boat, automobile or wheel chair or on the ground for writing or eating purposes, or for supporting miscellaneous articles.

Another object is to provide an individual portable table that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and efficient in use.

Other objects, advantages and novel details of construction of this invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of an individual portable table embodying my invention, and showing the same in an open position.

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the individual portable' table when in folded position.

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view through the individual portable table when in folded position.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of individual portable table when in an open position.

FIGURE 5 is a cross sectional view through the individual portable table shown in FIGURE 4 when in folded position.

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through the individual portable table illustrated in FIGURE 4 when in folded position.

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A and B respectively are the cushion portions and C is the substantially rigid panel portion of an individual portable table embodying my invention.

As shown, the cushion portions A and B are hingedly connected together at one end thereof, and are provided at their free ends with suitable handles E and F respectively. Preferably each of these cushion portions A and B comprises a hollow casing 10 of flexible material, and a filler 11 of resilient material. The flexible material for each casing 10 may be either a suitable fabric or a suitable plastic, as desired. The resilient material for each filler 11 may be a single body of sucient size to ll the enveloping casing or may comprise a sufficient number or quantity of relatively small bits or particles to lill the enveloping casing. Such filler 11 may be either a soft plastic substance like foam rubber or a harder plastic material like styrofoam. When fabric is used for each casing, two separate plies thereof are formed and the marginal portions thereof are connected together by suitable stitching. When a plastic is used for each casing, two separate plies thereof are formed similar in conguration to the fabric plies, and the marginal portions thereof are connected together by suitable stitching or are fused together by the application of heat and pressure.

In FIGURES l to 3 inclusive, I have shown each casing 10 formed from two separate plies 13 and 14 respectively of fabric, and the ller 11 formed from a relatively soft plastic substance, while in FIGURES 4 to 6 inclusive I have shown each casing 10a formed from two separate plies 13a and 14a respectively of plastic material, and the ller 11a formed from a harder plastic material such as styrofoam. In each instance the marginal portions of the separate plies are connected together by suitable stitching 15. Also, in FIGURES l to 3 inclusive, the hinge connection 16 between the casings 10 comprises a separate twoply strip 17 located between and extending transversely of said casings at adjacent transverse edges thereof and having opposite longitudinal side edges thereof connected by suitable stitching 18 to the adjacent transverse edges of said casings, while in FIGURES 4 to 6 inclusive, the hinge connection 16a between the casings 10a comprises two intermediate integral extensions 20 and 21 respectively of the two separate plies 13a and 14a forming said casings. In FIGURES l to 6 inclusive, the handles E and F are inverted U shape in configuration and the legs of each U are rigidly secured to the free ends of the casings. In FIG- URES l to 3 inclusive, the handles E and F are formed of fabric while in FIGURES 4 to 6 inclusive, the handles E and F are formed from plastic material.

The rigid panel portion C is at and is substantially equal in area to and coextensive with the cushion portion A. Such rigid panel portion C is preferably either a laminated plywood board or a laminated plastic board 'approximately 1A" thick, but may be formed of any suitable material and may have any suitable thickness providing the finished product is substantially rigid throughout, and has at least one relatively smooth surface 22 adapted to be used for writing or eating purposes or for supporting miscellaneous articles.

In FIGURES l to 3 inclusive, I have shown suitable straps 24 for detachably holding the rigid panel portion C in assembled relation with the inner side of the cushion portion A. Preferably each strap 24 is formed from ilexible material such as fabric or plastic. Each strap 24 is rigidly secured at one end to one marginal portion of the casing 10 and is detachably connected at the other end to van adjacent marginal portion of said casing. The detachable connections between the straps 24 and the casing 1l) may comprise any suitable snap fasteners 25. Thus these straps 24 normally extend diagonally across the smooth surface 22 of the panel portion C at the four corners thereof, Vand elfectively hold said panel portion C against objectionable movement relative to the cushion portion A. However, such panel portion C may be readily removed from the cushion portion A by simply unooupling the snap fasteners 25 to enable either the rigid panel portion C or the cushion portion A to be cleaned, as desired. Also, in FIGURES 1 to 3 inclusive, I have shown a conventional straight ruler 30 that is detachably held upon the smooth surface 22 of the rigid panel portion C adjacent one longitudinal side edge thereof by two of the straps 24, and have shown a receptacle 31 secured within an opening in the rigid panel portion C adjacent one corner thereof for the reception of erasers or other articles (not shown) when the surface 22 of the rigid panel portion is used for writing purposes, and for the reception of a drinking glass (not shown) when such surface 22 is used for eating purposes.

In FIGURES 4 to 6 inclusive, I have shown two metal clips 40 of identical construction for detachably holding the rigid panel portion C in assembled relation with the. inner side of the cushion portion A. Preferably, each metal clip 40 is a channel of spring metal and is detachably connected to both the rigid panel portion C and to the cushion portion A. Preferably, these channel-shaped clips extend substantially throughout the length of opposite longitudinal side edges of the casing a and detachably embrace the adjacent longitudinal side edges of both the rigid panel portion C' and the cushion portion A. Thus the rigid panel portion C is effectively held by the clips 40 against objectionable movement relative to the cushion portion A', but may be readily removed therefrom by simply removing the metal clips 40 from both the rigid panel portion C' and cushion portion A' to enable either of said portions to be cleaned as desired.

In FIGURES l to 3 inclusive, the cushion portion B is provided upon the inner face thereof in spaced relation to the free edge thereof with three pockets 50, 51 and 52 respectively for the reception of miscellaneous articles (not shown), while in FIGURES 4 to 6 inclusive, the cushion portion B' is provided upon the inner face thereof in spaced relation to the free edge thereof with two spaced substantially parallel transversely extending straps 53 and 54 respectively that are preferably formed from plastic material and are terminally connected to the casing 10a. These straps 53 and 54 may be used to hold maps, papers, etc. (not shown) upon the inner face of the cushion portion B. Also, in FIGURES 4 to 6 inclusive, the cushion portion B is provided upon the inner face thereof between the strap 54 and the hinge connection 16a with a transversely extending pocket 55 for the reception of miscellaneous articles (not shown).

ln use, when the cushion portions are folded face to face with the rigid panel portion therebetween, the individual portable table may be conveniently carried by the handles EV and F from place to place, or may be used as a back rest for a person seated on'a chair or Within an automobile, boat, airplane, or wheel chair.

When it is desired to use the rigid panel portion C or C for writing or eating purposes or for supporting miscellaneous articles, the cushion portions are swung apart about the pivotal connection therebetween until such cushion portions are back to back. Then the cushion portions in such back to back relation may be placed upon the lap of a seated person with the rigid panel portion uppermost and supported by both of said cushion portions. The smooth upper surface 22 of the rigid panel portion is then available for writing or eating purposes, or for supporting miscellaneous articles.

Thus from the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that the smooth upper surface 22 of the rigid panel portion of the individual portable table could be used as either a writing surface or an eating surface, or as a surface for supporting miscellaneous articles when a person is seated on an isolated chair, instead of at a regular or conventional taole. Such individual portable table could readily be used upon the lap of a person seated within an automobile, boat or airplane, or on the ground. In each instance, the lowermost cushion portion engaging the lap of the seated person will not only cooperate with the uppermost cushion portion to provide the rigidl panel portion with a cushioned support, but will yield sufficiently to conform to the contour of the engaged lap of the seated person and thereby will assist in holding the rigid panel portion against objectionable sliding or shifting movement. In fact, such individual portable table could be used by an art student seated either on a chair or on the ground, or by a seated person at a picnic or at a drive-in establishment, or by any seated person whenever either a writing surface, or an eating surface, or a flat surface for supporting miscellaneous articles is desired.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A foldable individual portable table comprising two substantially rectangular cushions of substantially equal area provided at adjacent marginal portions thereof with a hinge connection enabling said cushions to be moved about said hinge connection alternately from face-to-face to back-to-back relation with each other, and a substantially flat rigid board substantially equal in area and disposed in surface-to-surface relation to the face of one of said cushions, the surface of said rigid board opposite the surface aforesaid thereof being relatively smooth to serve as a table when said cushions are moved to back-to-back relation with each other, the face of the other of said l cushions being operable when said cushions are moved to back-to-back relation with each other to be placed upon the lap of a seated person to support the folded table as a whole, one of said cushions being superimposed upon the other to provide a double cushioned support for said rigid board when the face aforesaid of said other cushion is placed upon the lap of a seated person, each of said cushions having a closed substantially at hollow casing of flexible material and a filler of yieldable material within said hollow casing, and means detachably holding said rigid board in assembled relation with the one aforesaid of said cushions so that said rigid board will remain in the surface-to-surface relaton to the face aforesaid of the one of said cushions when said cushions are moved alternately from face-to-face to back-to-back relation with each other.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the holding means comprises straps extending diagonally across the smooth surface of said board at at least two diagonally opposed corners thereof, one end of each strap being detachably connected to portions of the casing of one of the cushions, the other end of each strap being terminally connected to other portions of the casing of the one of said cushions.

3. The structure dened in claim 1, wherein the holding means comprises resilient channel-shaped clips located at opposite longitudinal margins of the one of said cushions and embracing adjacent longitudinal marginal portions respectively of said rigid board and of the casing of the one of said cushions, the length of each said clip being substantially that of each said marginal portion, each clip engaging said board and said casing throughout the length of each said marginal portion.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 696,044 Hoffman Mar. 25, 1902 874,817 York Dec. 24, 1907 1,329,429 Perry Feb. 3, 1920 1,364,022 Bauer Dec. 28, 1920 1,684,173 Diamond Sept. 11, 1928 2,293,979 Hopkins Aug. 25, 1942 2,390,864 Bayley Dec. 11, 1945 2,471,003 Monahan May 25, 1949 2,834,970 Nappe May 20, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 111,577 Great Britain May 6, 1917 

